Interfaith Peace Building Delegation
to Palestine and Israel with Scott Kennedy
July 1-14, 2001

In September 2000, the second Intifada (uprising) began in Israel and Palestine. By March, more than 400 people had been killed and more than 10,000 injured. Last year, the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and the Palestinian Committee for Rapprochement invited the national Fellowship of Reconciliation to send interfaith delegations of concerned people to live in Palestinian and Israeli homes, learn about the Intifada, the military occupation, the ongoing conflict and efforts to achieve a sustainable peace. Time will also be spent helping to repair some of the more than over 600 Arab homes damaged or destroyed near Arab East Jerusalem.

WHO: The delegation is open to people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds open to learning from all people in the region and who are committed to using the experience of this trip to work for a durable peace for both Palestinians and Israelis. Delegates must be mature, physically healthy, emotionally stable, flexible and 17 years of age and older. Jews, Muslims and persons fluent in Arabic and/or Hebrew are especially encouraged to apply. Delegations will have no more than 14 people, including one or two experienced leaders.

WHERE: The delegation will spend time in East and West Jerusalem, the Wets Bank, Gaza Strip and Israel. Limited time will be available for visits to sacred sites and worship in various religious traditions. Participants will be staying in Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Israeli homes in Israel. Delegates will meet with Palestinian and Israeli organizations working for a just peace. Some time will be spent working with Palestinians and Israelis to repair a home that has been damaged or destroyed in months.

SAFETY: The FOR has been invited to Israel/Palestine by individuals and organizations with which the FOR has worked for many years. The home stays and logistics have been carefully worked out by Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers who care deeply about our safety. The delegation will always be accompanied by an English/Arabic speaking Palestinian when traveling in the West Bank and Gaza, and will usually be accompanied by an English/Hebrew speaking Israeli while in Israel. Host organizations believe the delegation's presence may actually help to reduce the violence in the areas where we will be living and traveling. The area is in a state of armed conflict, however, and tour hosts, the FOR, and the Resource Center for Nonviolence cannot guarantee the safety of any participant. Each participant must assume responsibility for the risks of their own participation.

LOGISTICS: Food, lodging and transportation (with the exception of an occasional lunch while traveling or on a day off) is covered in the cost of the delegation. Participants must accept the food and lodging offered by Palestinian and Israeli families. Transportation will usually be by private van, with occasional use of public taxis or buses accompanied by leaders. The food is wonderful, but some authorities recommend drinking bottled water in certain areas. A smoke free environment cannot be guaranteed. The delegation will have regular meetings to share concerns, reflect on experiences and worship in various traditions.

LANGUAGE: English is the only required language. Many people we meet will speak English, while others will speak to the delegation through interpreters. Bilingual escorts will always travel with the group. Host families may have very limited English, which will introduce the participants to the power of nonverbal communication.

LEADERSHIP: The delegation will be headed by Scott Kennedy, Chair of the National Council of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and chair of the FOR Middle East Task Force. Scott serves on the staff of the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, California, and has taken more than a dozen delegations to the region and traveled to the Middle East more than 25 times.

COST: $1,700 (from New York). $500 deposit due by May 31, 2001. Balance due at Orientation in Nyack, New York.

INFORMATION/APPLICATION:
Doug Hostetter Email: DHostetter@!forusa.org
or
Scott Kennedy Email: kenncruz@pacbell.net
FOR, Box 271, Nyack, NY 10960.
Tel. (845) 358-4601.
Fax. (834) 358-4924 (831) 457-8003